"ONE IN THE SPIRIT"

After writing “Pastor’s Corners” for church newsletters for 37 years — yikes! that could be as many as 400 different articles! — this may be the last official “Pastor’s Corner” I will write. In one article it would be impossible to sum up my 10 years with you, let alone 37 years of adventures with congregations. It has been a magnificent ride!

Anne and I want to thank you for the many ways you have included us so graciously in the Bay UMC church family for these 10 years. We have felt very much at home with you. In fact, even though we will be moving to Oberlin, we will always feel at home in Bay Village and will look forward to opportunities to be with you again.

When a pastor retires or moves to a new pastoral appointment, it is the policy of our United Methodist Church for that pastor not to come back to the parish for at least one year. I believe this is a very important policy, because it will give you a chance to welcome your new pastor and his family with the same graciousness you have offered to Anne and me and our family. Bill, Sheila, Hillary, and Ben are looking forward to becoming a part of the Bay UMC family. I must admit I’m a littler nervous about retirement, so I imagine you and Bill are a little nervous about getting to know each other. What will life after July 1 look like, really? I have assured the Buckeyes that you are a wonderful, spirit-filled, and deeply committed congregation with excellent and capable leaders. I am really looking forward to hearing about the adventures you will have together in the next chapter of this great congregation’s life.

In the Church of Jesus Christ, God has called all of us to be a part of one fellowship, united by one spirit to serve one common Lord. This means that even though Anne and I will no longer be a regular part of your everyday activities, we will always be a part of you, just as you will always be a part of us. This holy bond is a gift from God that neither time nor distance can take away.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! May God bless us all!

Congratulations to Paul Wilson who received his Masters of Divinity degree from the Methodist
Theological School in Ohio on May 17, 2008. At Annual Conference in June at Lakeside Paul will be commissioned by Bishop John Hopkins, the first step toward ordination as a full elder in the United Methodist Church. The commissioning service is on Monday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. At this same service, Rollin’s retirement from pastoral appointment will be recognized. You are invited to attend.